Vacuum cleaner bag attachment



May 31, 1949. F. s. HOWARD VACUUM CLEANER BAG ATTACHMENT Filed Nov. 6, 1946 J 7706/7571 I 7 /Q7Z% 5 Patented May 31, 1949 VACUUM CLEAN EB BAG ATTACHMENT Frank S. Howard, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Birtman Electric Company, a corporation of Illinois Application November 6, 1946, Serial No. 708,158

9 Claims. (Cl. 285143) This invention relates to a vacuum cleaner bag attachment.

The majority of vacuum cleaners of the floor type use a bag filter or similar means to separate the dirt carried by the air stream. When the bag has accumulated sufiicient dirt it is necessary that it be removed and emptied. It is therefore necessary that the bag be readily detachable from the cleaner, and also be readily attached to the cleaner. It is further necessary that there be a tight seal between the bag and the cleaner so that no dirt can escape when the cleaner is in operation. Various means have been proposed in the past for attaching the bag to a cleaner, but not all of these have been completely satisfactory in that some have permitted leakage of air, have been difiicult to attach to and detach from the cleaner, were bulky and cumbersome, and were generally unsatisfactory for similar reasons.

In the present invention attaching means have been provided that are simple in construction and that provide a. positive seal between the exhaust port of the cleaner through which dirtladen air is exhausted and the inlet of the filter which separates the dirt from the air.

The invention will be described as related to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings. Of the drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation of a vacuum cleaner embodying the invention; and Fig. 2 is a section taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The vacuum cleaner shown in the accompanying drawings comprises a casing In. a handle ll mounted on the casing, a front nozzle l2, front supporting wheels 83, intermediate wheels M, rear wheels 15 normally spaced from the floor, and a bag it. The bag is removably fastened to the exhaust port ll of the cleaner.

The opening of the bag l6 into which dirtladen air from the cleaner is exhausted is attached .to a rectangular annular plate l8 arranged to press against the marginal area l9 around the exhaust port I 1. Ordinarily a gasket is provided between the annular plate l8 and the marginal area I 9 to take up any irregularities in the surfaces. On one side of the margin I9 there is located an elongated socket 20 having a side opening adjacent the port l1. On the opposite side of the margin there is located a top raised portion 2! and a bottom raised portion 22 spaced from each other. Attached to the top raised portion 2! by means of a hinge pin 23 there is located an arm 24 movable in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the port ll. The

lower end of the arm 24 is held by means of a clamp .25 when the arm is in closed position. The arm may, of course, be attached to the bottom portion 22, if desired.

Th annular plate I8, which is attached to the bag I6, is provided on the side next to the socket at with two extended portions 26 arranged to be received within the socket 211. The distance between the top side of the top extended portion and the bottom side of the bottom extended portion is substantially equal to the length of the inner recess of the socket 20, so that these portions will be held firmly in the socket. These extended portions are also of approximately the same thickness as the height of the internal recess of the socket 20. On the other side of the annular plate l8 there is located a third extended portion 2? of such size and shape that it is held between th two raised portions 2| and 22, and is pressed firmly against the marginal area [9 when the annular plate I8 is in place and the arm 24 is turned to a closed position as shown in Fig. 2.

When the bag is attached to the cleaner as shown in the drawings a tight seal is provided. When it is desired to empty the bag the arm 24 is turned in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in Fig. 2, and this releases the third extended portion 21. The other two extended portions 26 may then be withdrawn from the socket 20 and the bag removed from the cleaner. When the bag is to be ,re-attached the extended por tions 26 are placed in the socket 28, the third extended portion 21 is placed between the top and bottom raised portions 2| and 22, and the arm 24 moved in.,a clockwise direction to lock the bottom end of the arm under the clamp 25. The bag will then be securely attached to the cleaner.

This invention is related to that claimed in my copending application Serial No. 709,283, filed November 12, 1946.

Having described my invention as related to the embodiment set out in the accompanying drawings, it is my intention that the invention be not limited by the description unless otherwise sepcified, but rather be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as set out in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. In a vacuum cleaner including an exhaust port for dirt-laden air and a removable filter into which said air is exhausted, means for attaching the filter to the port comprising a socket adjacent one side of the port having an opening extending laterally of the longitudinal axis of the port, an

annular member attached to the margin of an opening in the filter and arranged to cooperate with said port, an extended portion on one side of the annular member for engagement with said socket, and means for removably attaching the opposite side of the annular member to the vacuum cleaner.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein said attaching means comprises a recess adjacent the port and opening in the same general direction as said port, a second extended portion on the corresponding side of the annular member for engagement with said recess, and means for locking said second extended portion in said recess.

3. In a Vacuum cleaner including an exhaust port for dirt-laden air and a bag filter into which said air is exhausted, means for attaching the bag to the port comprising a socket adjacent one side of the port Opening laterally of the port, a recess on the other side of the port opening out- Wardly in the same general direction as said port, an annular member attached to the open end of the bag, an extended portion on one side of the annular member and substantially rigid thereon for engagement with said socket, a second extended portion on the other side of the annular member and substantially rigid thereon receivable in the recess, and means for locking said second portion in said recess extending across the top of said recess.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 3 wherein the locking means comprises a member connected to one side of the recess and being movable to extend across said recess and lock the second extended portion within the recess, and means are provided to lock said member in place across the recess.

5. In a vacuum cleaner including an exhaust port for dirt-laden air and a bag filter into which said air is exhausted, means for attaching the bag to the port comprising a long socket on one side of the port having an open side opening tward the port, a recess on the other side of the ,port opening outwardly, an annular member attached to the open end of the bag, a pair of extended portions closely adjacent each other on one side of the annular member for engagement with said socket, a third extended portion on the other side of the annular member receivable in said recess, a member hingedly connected to one side of the recess movable in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the port to a position across said recess, and readily releasable means for locking said member in position across the recess.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5 wherein one of said pair of extended portions abuts against one end of the socket and the other extended portion abuts against the other end of the socket.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5 wherein the recess is formed by the space between a pair of raised sections adjacent the port and the third extended portion is held between them.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5 wherein the recess is formed by the space between a pair of raised sections adjacent the port and the third extended portion is held between them, with said hinged member having one end mounted on top of one of the raised sections and the other end receivable on top of the other raised section when said member is in closed position.

9. The Vacuum cleaner of claim 5 wherein the recess is formed by the space between a pair of raised sections adjacent the port and the third extended portion is held between them, with said hinged member having one end mounted on top of one of the raised sections and the other end receivable on top of the other raised section when said member is in closed position, said other raised section also having a catch on its top for retaining said other end of the hinged member.

FRANK S. HOWARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 778,557 Szepe Dec. 2'7, 1904 2,093,991 Boyer Sept. 28, 1937 2,178,819 Timm Nov. 7, 1939 

